Original subtitles

I'm starting my search for Arizona's largest

tarantula.

And normally, I do my best to not get

bitten by giant, hairy spiders.

But today, I'm going to intentionally take a bite

from the desert blonde tarantula to see just

how dangerous it really is.

But before I can do that, I've got to catch

one let's get searching.

We're searching

the Sonoran Desert of Arizona to find these tarantulas.

This desert is teeming with all sorts of venomous creatures.

And the best time to find them is after dark.

The sun is finally set, headlamp is on.

This headlamp is going to be the main tool

that I use tonight to find one of these tarantulas.

So I'm going to use my headlamp to sweep from side to side.

There's not a lot that gives away

other than just getting a light right on the tarantula itself.

And then comes the tricky part-- actually catching one.

I also have a snake hook with me tonight, which could come in

handy in catching a tarantula.

But the main reason I have it is because this

is prime rattlesnake territory.

There's a lot more things crawling around

out here than just big spiders.

These spiders are out tonight hunting.

But if they're near their hole, they'll quickly tuck back in.

If I don't get close enough in time,

it's pretty much game over.

And we'll have to find a new tarantula to catch.

Whoa.

We got a rattlesnake right there.

You see it coiled up?

Right there.

Back up a little bit, guys.

That is a Western diamondback rattlesnake.

Now, it is not a big one.

This is a juvenile, but it is still capable of inflicting

a very serious bite.

You can use a snake hook to move the snakes out

of our way just like this.

Let the snake go.

We keep searching for spiders.

It's a great sign that we're seeing all these venomous

creatures out on the hunt.

This desert is coming alive.

Look at this.

Desert, hairy scorpion right there.

Let's see if I can grab it.

Best way to do this is just to grab right at the top knuckle

so it can't sting me.

Let's see if we get him to calm down.

Stay, buddy. Stay, buddy.

Come on.

There we go, that's good.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah, it's pinching me.

All right, here we go.

I'll show you what we got here.

That is a pretty good size giant desert hairy scorpion,

the largest species of scorpion in the United States.

Luckily, I've got a good grip on its stinger there.

But you can see, there's even a little bit of venom starting

to come out of the tip of it.

If you don't grab these guys correctly,

they will give you a pretty good pop.

You can see why they call them the desert hairy.

Look at all the hairs all over its body.

It doesn't get much cooler than these large scorpions.

All right, let's put them back and keep

looking for those tarantulas.

Scorpions and tarantulas are

out here hunting the same food.

I have a feeling we're closing in on our giant spider.

Oh.

I got a spider right there.

Let's go.

All right, I got my container.

Let's see if we can get a catch.

OK, its hole is right here.

Going to need to move in carefully.

That is a big male.

Oh no, I lost it.

Hang on, hang on, hang on.

I'm going to coax it back out.

Ah, lost it.

Wait, hang on.

It's still there.

I got to back.

I got to back.

Snake hook is coming in clutch.

Look to this direction.

See it rearing its abdomen up.

OK, oh, just bit the snake hook.

Here we go, guys.

Got it, got it.

Here we go.

Woo.

Whoa, buddy.

That is a good one.

Big male desert blonde tarantula.

After a little bit of searching and a little bit of luck,

and we brought the snake hook, we got ourselves our tarantula

for the bite test.

All right, let's hike it back in.

Let's go, guys.

Yes.

As fate would have it,

as we were heading back to start setting up for the bite test,

we saw an even bigger spider.

Oh, another tarantula.

This one looks bigger.

Oh, yeah, OK.

Let's try to catch this one, too.

I don't how close it is to its hole,

but let me go in for the catch. Here we go.

Holy cow, that is a huge freaking spider, guys.

Wow.

Cha, cha, cha.

Ho, ho, ho, ho.

Woo, hoo, hoo, hoo.

That

Is the specimen we have been after.

That is a truly huge tarantula.

I did not expect this--

not one, but two huge desert blonde tarantulas.

What we have here are a male and a female.

And unfortunately for me, I think this video just

turned from a tarantula bite test

to a tarantula bite comparison.

And I'm sure you are as curious as I

am which of these two spiders has the more painful bite.

It's time to find out.

I am definitely nervous.

Oh, man.

Oh, my goodness.

Two full grown desert blonde tarantulas.

And the table is now set for the ultimate spider bite test

here in the Sonoran Desert.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it.

What I'm about to do is a bad idea.

Please do not attempt to recreate what you're

about to see in this video.

We have two tarantulas here in front of us.

We have a male and the female, which we found unexpectedly.

I think it is worth doing a bite test comparison to see which

bite is more ferocious because these spiders live

very different lives from each other.

Females actually live for a lot longer.

We're talking 25 years for a female tarantula

and only 5 to 10 years for a male.

Females tend to bunker down.

They stay a lot more localized to their nests,

where the males are much more nomadic and predatory.

I have a suspicion that we have a very different bite

profile to these two spiders.

And we are going to put that to the ultimate test.

Let's take a closer look at Arizona's largest spider.

Ladies first.

In order to get some really good footage of the spider,

I'm going to move it into this glass dome.

And of course, we don't want our spider to get away.

All right, delicate little procedure here.

Wow.

There we go.

Perfect, perfect.

Perfect transfer.

Oh my goodness.

The fangs on these spiders are enormous.

It's not just going to be the venom that I'm up against today.

We're talking actual puncture wounds from fangs that large.

In terms of what they're out here hunting and eating,

pretty much anything that they can grapple onto.

They are very strong spiders.

And of course, possessing those large fangs,

they could subdue a variety of prey.

Even small lizards would be a good meal

for a spider this size.

The females tend to be a little bit bigger than the males.

They are called a desert blonde tarantula predominantly

because you can see those hairs and just how

blonde they are in the middle.

But that is a full grown desert blonde tarantula.

The best way to probably go about doing this

is for me to grab it by its carapace, the top

of the head of the spider.

And I'm going to try to pin it, grab it,

and then I'll be able to show you the fangs and, of course,

inflict the bite right here on my thumb.

All right, whoo.

I brought a couple of things with me today.

I have a large pair of tweezers.

Of course, we always bring first aid kit.

The thing I need the most is the epipen.

The worst outcome that could happen,

besides the pain that I'm about to experience,

is an allergic reaction.

I think it's time to take the first of two bites

from a tarantula.

OK, here we go.

Now, the females are known for being a little more

docile than the males.

Beyond-- oh, easy, girl.

Easy, girl.

Back, back, back.

So you see how it's rearing its abdomen up right there?

Beyond their capability to inflict bites,

they also possess another defense

mechanism, which is to flick the hairs off their abdomen.

Females are rumored to be less aggressive,

but this one looks ready to bite.

And what I'm trying to do right now

is to get a good hold on the carapace.

This is the safest way for me to hold it

for both me and the tarantula.

There we go-- oh, jeez.

OK, that was-- that made my heart jump.

OK, all right.

The spider just wants to come right at me.

My gosh.

Did you hear that?

That is the sound of spider fangs scraping the table.

Look at the size of those fangs.

And their fangs are retractable just like a snake.

And they are thick.

We're talking some very large fangs.

Those are going to pop holes in my skin for sure.

I've got to give a lot of nerve to do this.

OK, I've got a good grip on the spider.

I'm going to go for it.

On three.

I'm Mark Vins and I'm about to take

a bite from Arizona's largest spider,

the desert blonde tarantula.

On three.

1.

I'm so nervous.

2.

3.

Spider's fangs are on my skin.

Yep, got me.

You see there's a little blood right there?

Only popped one fang through.

I think I got to take a better bite, guys.

That wasn't a good enough bite.

All right, I'm going to do one more.

Ready? On three.

1.

2.

3.

Yeah, that time got me.

That time, it got me good.

Oh, my god.

That freak me out.

Oh, my gosh.

OK.

Hang on, let me get the spider back.

Get there, girl.

Get back in there.

Yeah, this right there.

See that?

Definitely burns.

My gosh, my adrenaline is like firing right now, guys.

I feel like my soul just jumped out of my body.

That is the most freaked out I've been around an animal.

And it definitely burns.

Oh, man.

My neck, yeah.

My neck is like seized up.

It's like I've got a cramp right here.

I don't know if it's from the bite

or if it's from just the nerves and the tension.

Oh, my gosh.

I think it's nerves.

I don't think it's from the venom.

Definitely burns.

It's a-- it's definitely a burning sensation.

I had to really try hard to get that spider to bite me.

I want to point that out that this spider

did not want to bite.

But that was not an aggression bite for sure.

OK, I think I'm good enough to do another bite.

I think it's time to bring in the second tarantula

and see if the male can inflict a more

aggressive bite wound, which I have a feeling that's

going to happen.

Males are known to be more aggressive.

And that's why I wanted to do a bite test here.

Much darker in coloration than the female two.

Not looking forward to this.

And my hand still burns from that first bite.

OK, come here.

Come here, you.

Come here, you.

Got to pin him.

Oh, my gosh.

Way stronger, way stronger.

Way more aggressive.

Look at it attacking.

Oh, boy, that was tough.

OK.

There you have it.

The male desert blonde tarantula.

Here are the fangs.

You could see-- just as terrifying as the female spider.

You can see there's even venom on these.

OK, on three.

I'm about to take my second bite,

this time from a male and much more aggressive

desert blonde tarantula.

On three.

1.

2.

3.

I'm just waiting for the bike to come.

You see he does not want to bite me.

No.

Big reaction is that these animals do not want to bite me.

So while we've given this spider plenty of opportunity

to inflict a bite, you can see it really has

no intent to do me any harm.

And frankly, it should be a lot more afraid of me

than I am of it.

So I hope after watching this video,

we all have learned some important lessons

about Arizona's largest spider.

Even though these spiders are large

and admittedly pretty creepy, we really

have no reason to fear them.

And honestly, their venom isn't that strong

because spiders this large tend to use their strength

to overtake their prey.

They don't want to bite you.

And even if they do, it's really not that bad.

All right, let's let our spiders back off into the desert.

All right.

Last night, something completely unexpected happened.

Right now, We're in Costa Rica filming the bullet ant sting

versus the leafcutter ant bite showdown, which, by the way,

ouch.

It hasn't even been 24 hours since I

endured the carnage that was 60 seconds

of being stung by a bullet ant.

I mean, I got annihilated.

I am still in excruciating pain right now.

But here at our lodge, we saw something that we

didn't even think existed.

Let me ask you a question.

What is worse than a bullet ant with one of the most

painful stings in the world?

The answer?

A bullet ant that can fly.

That's right.

Bullet ants have wings.

Mark, come here.

What is it?

Dude, there's a bug on the wall here.

It looks like a bullet ant.

But it's-- Get a light.

It has wings on it.

Can you shine your light like right on it?

What?

Dude, that is a bullet ant with wings.

It has wings.

No way.

Let me get an net.

Let's see if I can--

Got it.

Got it.

Yeah, it's in the net.

Oh, it's getting away. It's getting away.

It's getting away.

We got him, we got him, we got him.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

All right, hang on.

Holy cow.

No way.

Did you know they can fly?

I didn't know they could have wings at all.

Let's get a closer look at it.

In all of our adventures

into the rainforest we have never seen anything like this.

These ants possess one of the most painful

stings on the entire planet.

And that's not just of all ants-- of all insects.

From a single jab to a full minute of being pumped

with their legendary venom, we've

experienced firsthand just how excruciating their sting can be.

However, these insects won't sting unless provoked.

And we've learned that from sticking our hand

into a box full of them.

As it turns out, they only sting to protect

themselves and their underground colony from danger.

But until this particular adventure,

we had no idea that bullet ants could take to the sky.

But now, let's get to the question

that I know you're all wondering.

Sure, bullet ants have wings.

But can they sting?

Can a winged bullet ant sting with the power

and might of the bullet ant that we all know so well?

Well, that's what we're here today to find out.

I'm prepared to take yet another sting test

to see if the winged bullet ant is something that we

all need to be concerned of.

But before we do that, let's take a side by side comparison

of both of these ants.

Colorations, proportions-- they look nearly identical.

I mean, maybe and just maybe, the winged bullet ant

is a little bit bigger.

But outside of that, the only major difference that I can see

is just behind the head.

On the wingless bullet ant, you've

got a couple of spikes, a couple of nodules

right behind the head on that middle part.

On the winged bullet ant, you have more of a hunch or a hump.

I'm guessing that's where all the wing mechanics are contained

that enable this ant to fly.

But before we get to the sting, let's discuss why ants

have wings in the first place.

In order for ants to start a new colony,

like bees, they have to swarm.

This occurs when colonies start to produce offspring that have

wings, which, of course, can be either male or female

with the females being future queens.

When a future queen flies away from the colony,

she's in search of a winged male from another

and hope that they can join forces

in starting the next generation of bullet ants.

After they mate, the male unfortunately

dies while the female sheds her wings

and searches on the ground for a good spot

to start her new brood.

Once she starts her nest, her stinger

actually turns into an ovipositor,

which she uses to lay eggs.

She then exclusively produces female worker ants

until the colony grows large enough to need to expand again.

It's these workers who are tasked with the digging

of tunnels, caring for young, and defending the colony

with their legendary sting.

All this to say, it's only the female ants that have stingers.

With that being said, I have about

a 50/50 chance of actually taking

another sting in this video.

It's time to get down to business.

It's time to find out if this flying bullet ant can sting.

Here we go.

Let's see if we can grab hold without it flying away.

I know I say this all the time with ants,

but is unbelievable how strong they are.

Oh no, no, no, no, no, no.

Don't fly, don't fly, don't fly.

Oh, no-- angry.

This bullet ant does not want to be in these forceps.

OK, I got a good hold.

All right, here we go.

Oh, I was afraid we're going to lose our flying bullet ant.

They have wings for a reason.

Got that shot?

Got it.

All right.

Here we go.

I'm Mark Vins, and I'm about to enter the sting

zone with a flying bullet ant.

On three, 1.

2.

3.

I can't feel it.

There's something in my--

oh. yeah.

Stinger's in, stinger's in.

Yep.

Yep, it's a queen.

Oh, do you see the stinger in there?

Definitely a queen.

We got a young queen, definitely not a male.

What does that feel like?

It burns.

All right, all right, all right.

Definitely not doing it for 60 seconds again.

Yeah.

Whoo, man.

You all right, Mark?

Yeah.

Huh.

I tell you what.

That burns.

But not as bad, oddly enough.

Definitely not as bad as yesterday.

Let me put her back in the container.

Thank you, thank you.

Oh, man.

Definitely a female for sure.

You could see there's already raised--

I could feel the burning.

There's already some raised.

But not as bad.

There's some there's some marks there.

But going to have to give it a little

bit to see if the venom really kicks in.

I mean, clearly, that's what the bullet

ant looked like from yesterday.

That is just over 24 hours.

You

Could see just how swollen my arm is from yesterday.

And it's hot and tight.

It's almost like swelling up like a hot dog about to explode.

But yeah, you could see right there.

You see that?

We definitely have some sting marks, but a much, much more

mild venom--

like significantly less painful.

I wouldn't recommend doing it.

Don't get me wrong.

This isn't good.

It's not enjoyable.

But it is certainly not as painful

as the bullet ant we all know.

So I have to wonder.

Why would the flying bullet ant sting be less potent than that

of a wingless bullet ant?

And if I had to guess, it's because this is a young queen.

They're both females.

But this young queen is destined to eventually lay eggs,

meaning that stinger is meant to actually evolve into a device

to reproduce and create the next bullet ants,

where this bullet ant is only meant to defend.

That means that stinger needs to inflict

as much pain as possible.

I'm Mark Vins.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.